AUG 26, 2020www.health.qld.gov.au/widebay /widebayhealth WBHHS-Media@health.qld.gov.au

What’s Insidel COVID-19 updatel Pain relief research l Julie prepares to semi-retirel Hervey Bay Hospital giftsl Transform and Optimisel Telehealth in our ruralsl WBHHS at Dorrie Dayl Speech Pathology Weekl Child Protection Weekl Health Hero Christina Rucker

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This year’s event was an overwhelming success, with the Surgical Services team coming together to battle it out for the prestigious prize of a Bake-off Winner sash and raise a grand total of more than $2000 for Ronald McDonald House. 

The standard of all the food showed it wasn’t just the surgeons that had precision skills, with the winners being:

Cake Decoration• 1st – Dr Elize Bolton, Merry-Go-Around• 2nd – Dr Maria Padar, Spring Posey of Daisies • 3rd – Dr Elspeth Norton, Log Cabin

Savoury Treats• 1st – Dr Ang, Pork, Sage & Pistachio

Sausage Rolls• 2nd – Dr Kotakadeniya, Fish Buns• 3rd – Katrina Delahunty, Brie & Cranberry

Pull-a-part

Sweet Treats• 1st – Dr Jo Mileham – Lemon Meringue Pie• 2nd – Dr Elize Bolton – Carrot Cake• 3rd – Bernie Scheuber – Chocolate Chip Nut

Cookies

Judges' Choice• Dr Dia Abuzied – Babousa

“The quality and number of entries this year was overwhelming and it is very touching to have so many of the team participate and support this fundraiser,” Elective Surgery Co-Ordinator Joanna Chalmers said.

We appreciate every one who took time out of your weekend to bake one or more entries for the cause.”

The tough task of sampling all the entries went to a panel of three judges, and the decorated entries were also auctioned off by Dr Victor Birioukov, Director of Anaesthetics.

Staff from across Bundaberg Hospital supported the fundraising efforts by buying raffle tickets and donating money to enjoy a plate of the tasty treats after judging.

A big thanks goes to the generous local businesses who donated prizes for the raffle: Coral Coast Physio, Silver by Diamond, Waldo’s Mower Doctor, Rise the Bakehouse, Mint Six Boutique, Cha Cha Chocolate, Bella Donna Hair, Avenell Bros, Water St Kitchen, Bundaberg Trading Post.

Dr Victor Birioukov judges the entries of the Bundaberg Hospital 3rd Annual Surgical Services Bake-Off.

Surgical team bake-off raises dough for charityBUNDABERG Hospital hosted its 3rd Annual Surgical Services Bake-Off recently, which saw some fierce competition as team members whipped out their spatulas and baking trays in the name of fundraising and bragging rights.

Working for Queensland surveyLAST year WBHHS staff were invited to participate in an Employee Engagement Survey to share their views and experiences of working for the organisation.

Your responses provided the foundation for the consultation and development of our new Organisational Values and Behaviours.

WBHHS is now working with the Public Service Commission to prepare for the 2020 Working for Queensland (WfQ) survey.

This will be an opportunity to confidentially have your say on how we can create a better workplace for everyone.

The survey will run from September 1–21.

You can find out more by clicking on the Working for Queensland spotlight on the WBHHS QHEPS Page.

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A GREAT deal of work is continuing across the state in response to the current COVID-19 cluster at the Brisbane Youth Detention Centre, including contact tracing, quarantining and testing people with close connections to the centre or its staff.

WBHHS COVID-19 Incident Controller Peter Wood said the nature of the facility – whose detainees come from areas around the state – meant there was a risk of community transmission across Queensland, so the cluster was being monitored and followed up closely.

A number of statewide directions have been updated in response to the cluster, details of which can all be found on the Queensland Health website.

Peter said WBHHS also had continued to hold a variety of desktop planning exercises to ensure we were well prepared to respond.

“The desktop exercises are all about us asking, ‘what if?’” Peter said.

What if we had a confirmed COVID-19 case in this or that setting? What would the potential impacts be and how would we deal with them?

“We’ve worked through a range of potential issues, including aged care, paediatric and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander scenarios, which have been really valuable to our ongoing response planning.

“I’d like to thank everyone involved in workshopping these incidents. They take time to plan and work through, but they help to make us better prepared if we have to deal with the real thing.”

As part of an ongoing community campaign, Peter has also encouraged clinicians to help promote COVID-19 testing through sharing their own experiences.

“I’d like to thank our many staff, including clinicians, who have been doing the right thing by staying home and getting tested when they’ve had symptoms,” he said.

Continuing preparations for COVID-19 response

“If any of our team members is happy to be a public face for promoting testing in the community, I’d encourage them to get in touch with the Media and Communications team on WBHHS-Media@health.qld.gov.au.”

We work in a high-risk environment. If you have ANY of the following symptoms,

GET TESTED FOR COVID-19

For more information, visit: www.health.qld.gov.au/widebay/fever-clinics

Fatigue Shortness of breath

Runny or stuffy nose

Sore throatFever Cough Loss of smell and/or taste

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Julie prepares for an adventurous semi-retirementMUNDUBBERA Multipurpose Health Service has farewelled a much loved member of the team who is entering what she describes as “semi-retirement”.

Julie Ansell has finished up as the administration officer for the Mundubbera MPHS after serving in the role for 16-and-a-half years.

Director of Nursing (Rural Facilities and Services) Jan-Adele Hotz said Julie would be deeply missed for the invaluable service that she had provided at the front counter of the MPHS, with a lovely smile and a helpful attitude.

“Julie has made countless significant contributions to the MPHS over the years, has seen many staff and residents come and go, has encouraged and supported all who she worked with and has been a treasured member of the MPHS and wider community,” Jan-Adele said.

“Julie will be deeply missed by us all and we wish her all the best in her semi-retirement.”

While retiring from full-time duties, Julie is planning to return for relief work in between her adventures in semi-retirement.

FOUR WBHHS clinicians have had their Australian-first research protocol published in the international Methods and Protocols Journal. 

The research examines the use of opioid-free anaesthesia (OFA) in comparison to the standard opioid-containing anaesthesia for elective laparoscopic cholecystectomy (gall bladder removal) and elective tubal ligations.

Bundaberg Hospital Clinical Director of Intensive Care Dr Anthony Eidan, WBHHS Director of Research Education, Development and Support Dr Angela Ratsch, Research Clinical Nurse Consultant Dr Elizabeth Burmeister and Clinical Nurse Geraldine Griffiths collaborated to publish the research protocol earlier this month.

Anthony said the team wanted to examine alternatives to opioid pain relief during and after surgery because of the adverse effects opioids had on some patients, which could also increase the length of stay.

Opioids are also often continued after surgery longer than clinically indicated.  

Australia now has one of the highest levels of use of pharmaceutical opioids, with almost 15 million opioid prescriptions dispensed in 2015, and with the use of high-potency opioids also increasing,” he said.

“Traditionally, perioperative pain relief has been provided by opioid analgesics, and current anaesthetic practice is heavily dependent on opioid use during and after anaesthesia.

“So we wanted to look at an alternative that could improve patient outcomes and provide evidence that will contribute to the growing body of knowledge around the efficacy of newer opioid-free anesthetic techniques.”

Opioid-free analgesia involves a multi-modal approach and administering specific

medications intra-operatively that target the pain pathways.

“We argue that modern anesthetic practice calls for patient-centered approaches to assessing the recovery of patients after surgery, and that measurement of recovery following anaesthesia and surgery is broader than simply assessing pain management,” Anthony said. “It involves considerations of the patient’s wellness and mobility after surgery compared to beforehand, as well as how independently they can care for themselves, and do household and work activities.”

The research uses a randomised control (RCT) design of consenting patients undergoing elective surgery for gall bladder removal or tubal ligation. 

The research has received ethics approval from the Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital and started in July, with several participants already having surgery. It is expected to continue into 2021 and the findings will be published soon afterwards.

Research into opioid alternatives

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Gifts lift spirits of Hervey Bay staff

Showcase to transform and optimise the patient journeyTHE SECOND round of WBHHS’s Transform and Optimise showcases will be facilitated by the Queensland Treasury Corporation on September 2–3 at Maryborough, Hervey Bay and Bundaberg hospitals.

This is your opportunity to provide feedback on the refined themes and sustainability solutions presented at the first showcase in July, and inform the design of the following

initiatives:

• Transforming the patient journey and bringcare closer to home

• Optimising our workforce to meet patientneeds

• Supporting continuous improvement.

If you work at a rural facility, Showcase #2 slides will be forwarded to you via email.

Staff members are also encouraged to attend in person if they’re able.

If you have any questions about Showcase #2, please contact Sotera Trevaskis on 0436 630 645 or at sotera.trevaskis@health.qld.gov.au, or Christine Ilett on 0438 611 696 or at christine.ilett@health.qld.gov.au.

THE TEAM at Hervey Bay Hospital’s Medical Ward was

thrilled to receive a donation recently from two young girls who wanted to thank them for their efforts during the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond.

Charlee and Indi Wilson, whose dad did some recent plumbing work for nurse unit manager Deborah Kerr, wanted to show their appreciation to healthcare workers once they realised where she worked.

Deborah came home to find some thank you cards and a large bag of mini hand sanitisers with carabiners attached, allowing them to easily be carried and used while on the go.

“It was such a lovely surprise,” Deborah said.

“Indi drew a beautiful thank you card, and Charlee wrote us a message.

“Our team has already been getting good use from the bottles of hand sanitiser, and it just lifted everyone’s spirits when I brought the donation in.”

Charlee’s card read:

To Hervey Bay Hospital nurses,

thank you for keeping us safe and healthy. These are for you! And don’t worry – there will be millions of new doctors, nurses and surgeons coming your way soon. One of them will be me! THANK YOU.

Thanks again to Charlee and Indi, and their parents, for their thoughtfulness and generosity.

Hervey Bay Medical Ward Nurse Michael Punton with the donated hand sanitisers.

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MOST Wide Bay Hospital and Health Service staff have heard of telehealth - the use of videoconferencing to deliver patient care closer to home - but they may not have heard of TEMSU.

Telehealth Emergency Management Support Unit (TEMSU) consists of a team of highly-skilled clinical nurses and midwives who, together with a small team of clinical

and administrative support staff, help design, deliver and support HHS models of care that connect patients and clinicians over videoconferencing in non-critical and unscheduled situations.

Multiple TEMSU models are used across WBHHS to ensure that patients at all locations, but predominantly rurally-located patients, can receive access to specialist care at necessary times.

“Using our Emergency TEMSU model allows us to provide additional medical support

to our rural facilities, provides the opportunity to view and interact

with the patient and can assist in decision making prior to transferring a patient,” WBHHS Telehealth Co-ordinator Megan Cooper said.

There are instances where this has prevented a patient's need for transfer to Bundaberg and they have been managed successfully at their local hospital.”

Recognising the benefits, WBHHS rural teams have dramatically increased the use of TEMSU, recording a near-tenfold growth in activity from 15 calls in 2018/19 to 156 in 2019/20 and are now consistently within the top three HHSs for TEMSU activity.

Childers Hospital Director of Nursing Susan Parks praised TEMSU for improving after- hours care and providing expert support for newer nurses.

“TEMSU has resulted in greater access locally to medical services after hours for our patients, while providing clinical support for our growing number of graduate nurses moving into our Emergency Department,” Susan said.

Some of the models being delivered to patients through TEMSU include paediatric, low acuity emergency, maternity, podiatry, stoma and more.

These models support patients and clinical staff for improved local capacity while also providing early and appropriate clinical intervention which can help avoid unnecessary patient transfers.

On top of this, the TEMSU model that provides care locally leads to greater patient satisfaction.

Emergency support for rural patients

Sexual health promoted at Dorrie DayA LOCAL community event has provided Wide Bay Hospital and Health Service staff with an opportunity to promote sexual health services to young Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

Dorrie Day, which was held at Burnett Heads, was aimed at displaying to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander youth the range of achievable employment options, as well as support services that are available to them.

Organised by the Port Curtis Coral Coast

Trust, other local agencies who were part of the day included the Queensland Police Service, headspace, TAFE, Gidarjil Land and Sea and WBHHS representatives.

The WBHHS team included Nicole Blackley from the Wide Bay Q Clinic, Cultural Capability Co-Ordinator Lyn Nichols and Indigenous Health Workers Tamara Olive and Coral Walker. WBHHS Cultural Capability Co-Ordinator Lyn

Nichols, Wide Bay Q Clinic’s Nicole Blackley and WBHHS Indigenous Health Worker Coral Walker.

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IT might be surprising to many, but more than 1.2 million Australians live with a communication disability.

This year, Speech Pathology Week (August 23–29) is aiming to shine a light on  this largely unseen issue.

Sadly, without the intervention of a speech pathologist, Australians with communication disabilities are unable to maximise future educational, health and social outcomes.

In fact, only 38% of Australians with a

communication disability are participating in the workforce, compared with 80% of people without communication disability.

The theme of Speech Pathology Week is “Communicating with Confidence” — which is essential to everyone to participating fully in the social, educational, economic and sporting aspects of community life.

Our local speech pathologists help enable Wide Bay patients achieve this goal through studying, diagnosing and treating difficulties in communication including speech, language, fluency and voice.

They also work with people experiencing difficulties in swallowing, known as dysphagia.

WBHHS speech pathologists work in most of the hospital wards through referrals, collaborate with other Allied Health team members for optimal patient care and work with the Cancer Care team to help patients with head and neck cancers.  

They also work extensively with Child Development Services, infants with feeding difficulties and with paediatrics outpatients  on speech, language, feeding difficulties, stuttering and other issues.

Patients communicate with confidence

Keeping children safe and well is everybody’s businessIN THE lead-up to Child Protection Week, from September 6–12, WBHHS’s Child Advocacy Teams (CAT) are reminding everyone that keeping children safe and well is everybody’s business.

The team’s have multiple roles including support and advice for staff who raise concerns about children exposed to or at risk of abuse and neglect. If you have concerns about the safety of a child, either through caring for them or family members, the Child Advocacy Team for your hospital will be happy to give advice on how to best address your concerns.

“Child abuse and neglect is unacceptable and, as health staff, we all have a role in recognising if it is occurring and preventing it where possible. If we all work together,

we can create a society where all children can grow up feeling safe and nurtured,” said Dr Matt Wakeley, Child Protection Advisor for Bundaberg Hospital.

“As Child Protection Week approaches, we’d like to encourage everyone to think about what role they could play in supporting children and their families, and helping children to thrive.

“This includes:

• speaking up if we see something that is notsafe for children

• talking respectfully with children, value andact on their ideas

• helping children thrive by supporting families

• creating places where children feel safe to

live, play and learn.”

To make a report about child abuse or neglect to Child Safety:

1. Phone the Regional Intake Service on 1300683 042 to notify them of your report.

2. Complete the Online Reporting Form via QHEPS.

3. Print two copies of the online form and file one copy in the patient’s chart, and send the second copy to the Child Advocacy Team.

WBHHS’s Child Advocacy Teams are contactable as follows:

Bundaberg – 4150 2736 BBH-CAT@health.qld.gov.au

Fraser Coast – 0418 716 939 CPU-FraserCoast@health.qld.gov.au

Speech pathologists and allied health assistants at Bundaberg Hospital promoting Speech Pathology Week.

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What’s OnAUGUST 1–31 Tradies National Health Month23–29 Speech Pathology Week28 Daffodil Day28 Queensland Health LGBTIQ+

Employee Network – Wear it Purple Day

AUG 31–SEP 7 National Stroke WeekSEPTEMBER1–30 Blue September 1–30 International Childhood Cancer

Awareness Month 1–30 Prostate Cancer Awareness Month6–12 Child Protection Week8 Physiotherapy Day25 Pharmacists Day26 Environmental Health Day

JokesSome thoughts on ageing…

Some of you are too young to know what it feels like to take a ton of pictures then have to wait two weeks to find out they all sucked.

I bought a little bag of air today. The company that made it was kind enough to put some potato chips in it as well.

My wife just stopped and said: “You weren’t even listening, were you?”

And I thought: “That’s a pretty weird way to start a conversation.”

Your role: Speech Pathologist

How long have you been with WBHHS?: About 15 months.

How do you describe what you do? I work with adult inpatients and paediatric outpatients. With adult inpatients, I assess their swallowing and communication to determine the most optimal fluid/diet consistency and/or supporting any difficulties with communicating. In paediatric outpatients, I work on supporting language and speech.

What’s best about your job? The variety! Each day is always different.

What was your path into health care? I was always interested in working in health care and chose speech pathology because a close friend thought the variety of caseload would suit me. I also love to talk!

What does being part of a team mean to you? It means working together and acknowledging that everyone has different expertise and abilities. We therefore should always listen and learn from one another to support the best patient-centred care possible.

When you’re not at work, you are… Walking along Bargara esplanade and Kelly’s Beach with a take-away coffee in hand. Tinaberries follows close by.

What do you enjoy about living in Wide Bay? The close proximity of beaches, friends, work and the constant sunshine.

Tell us a fun fact about you. My whole family, besides my parents and brother, live in Germany. I can speak and read fluent German and go back regularly.

What song are you listening to most right now? Together by Sia. It’s super catchy and lifts my mood to clean the house.

Patient complimentsMaryborough operating theatre: My operation was done by all staff – nurses, doctors and orderleys – in an excellent manner. They were very professional and all staff showed passion for their duties. I was extremely satisfied and could not imagine a better place to have had my operation. I thank all who made me feel very comfortable.

Bundaberg Cancer Care Centre: All the staff were amazingly supportive and always made me feel better, especially on treatment days. If it wasn’t for the wonderful support and treatment I received through the cancer unit, I am not sure how I would have got through my experience.

Christina Rucker, Speech Pathologist.

A lover of good speech, whether at work or play

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